10 Steps to a Better Performance in a Tournament

Step 1. Visualize the break. Sit in a quiet place and see yourself smashing the rack with a strong accurate
powerful break. The balls explode. You can hear the ball that drops in the pocket. You are left with a wide open
table. When you visualize the break, you are building aggressive qualities that will win more games for you.  You
cannot win a tournament if you are tentative. A powerful break will get you in the attack mode. Do this many times
before a tournament and you will establish the style of play that will help you win.

Step 2. Expect good rolls. Almost all tournament winners come through the brackets with a good roll. It is part
of the game. Say to yourself “I get good rolls” over and over. Burn this affirmation in your mind. And don’t forget
the next step.

Step 3. Take advantage of your good rolls. Getting good rolls is one thing. You must be able to take
advantage of them. Burn this affirmation in your mind. Let it become who you are.

Step 4. Take charge of each match. By following step one you set up this affirmation in your mind. Remember,
“What the mind can conceive, it can achieve”. You will not win tournaments without this take charge attitude.
Take charge. Play the safe when it comes up. Don’t be foolish.

Step 5. Play one match at a time. You are not here to win the tournament. Get those thoughts out of your
mind. You can only play one match at a time. You need the freedom to perform. Thinking about winning can
clutter your mind. If you focus on one match, you will find yourself in the final four more often. Do not project
beyond this one match at a time plan.

Step 6. Spend time in the room before the tournament. You need to be comfortable where you perform.
Walk around. Listen to the sounds. Absorb the movement around you. The director will be calling names, making
announcements and interrupting play. It is all part of the tournament experience. Be comfortable with this noise.

Step 7. Avoid small talk. At every tournament there are a group of players who like to talk the politics of this
game. We all have an opinion on how things should be. Don’t get caught up in this concern. You are here to
play. You don’t care who is in your bracket, or who the hot player is, or who should be the director and what kind
of payout is proper. You are only concerned with the table for your game only. Some tables will not let you slow
roll a ball. If that is the case, move to a two or three rail game. You are here to play a match, and your mind
needs to be free to follow these ten steps to success.

Step 8. Practice for the tournament you are about to play. Use The Lesson to design your practice
sessions. If you are playing a nine ball tournament, do the stroke work, and then the mid- term exam. If it is an
eight ball tournament, The Monks famous thirteen, and fourteen ball exercises will help you. When you practice,
imagine you are already in the finals.

Step 9. Stun two racks before the tournament. Make up your mind you will follow this step. The stun exercise
will groove your stroke and set up all the other shots you will face. The Stun is explained in The Lesson.

Step 10. When you walk through the door of the pool hall the tournament is “on”. Once you arrive at the
site, you are officially in the tournament. You have entered the arena. Let all thoughts be on this task. Learn the
“tournament shuffle” as taught in my first dvd Bring Your Game to Its Highest Level. Remember, you have a
choice. You can worry about the results of the match, or you can shoot balls. When you are concerned with how
things go, you interfere with your ability to perform. There is no profit in this type of thinking. You need to be free.
Being angry about missed position does not change the shot you have. Let go of your preoccupation with results.
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In the world of Zen Archery there are masters that make you draw the bow back without an arrow for six months. The art of the shot is found in how you
draw the bow string back and in the release. It is not found in the target. Nor is it found in the arrow. It is found in the technique of drawing the string back and
releasing it. It is easy to understand why the master teaches this way.

In the world of pool we want to work on the target. We rush out to compete when we are no where near ready for this part of the art of pocket billiards. The
pro's are laughing all the way to the bank over our miss guided rush to enter the next tournament and join the local league.

When you go out into the battlefield before you are ready you will never reach your goals. Instead, you will flounder along at the same level year after year and
never experience the joy of pocket billiards. You will return to the practice table all out of sync and attempt to run balls and put up numbers you lack the skills
to achieve. Yet you try and try with the same mediocre results. I know, I went through this time and time again. You must go back to pulling the bow string
back with no arrow and learn how to release. And by that I mean, you must go back to the stroke, the tip through the cue ball. You must master the release.
You must connect to the shot you face. If you do not do that consciously, you have no idea of what you want to do. You have leaped off the cliff and hoped that
the water would be deep enough so you don't break your neck. During the "connection" you must see the shot and know which stroke you are going to use.
Then you must land on the cue ball. You must land in the spot that will enable you to succeed with what you connected with. At this point you can raise your
chin slightly. I call this "chin up". Then you must deliver the stroke when you are ready. Finish in a nice smooth straight line. Do not do anything until the shot
is completely over.